NoNewTaleToTell: To slightly alter a classic phrase, laws are like locks, the only person they affect are the honest folk.
I'm all for stringent laws for firearms and things of that nature, but just as hard drugs are technically illegal everywhere, you need only know the right person or the right location to obtain them. Here in California both are coming over the border in droves and making their way across the country, they're obviously not being brought into the system, and the laws will never be a factor to most of their purchasers.
That's not to say that stricter laws won't have an effect, they sure would and any positive change is one worth seeking, but (in my opinion) they would really only have a noticeable effect on "heat of the moment" situations. Gangs, those morons running around in the woods playing Rambo on the weekends, etc, the ones who really need to be de-armed won't be affected because they're usually not arming themselves at Wally World or Dick's Sporting Goods.
At least that's my rather cynical viewpoint.
Oh, and as someone who grew up in the dastardly evil bible belt and now lives in California, the difference in culture, education, beliefs and everyday society etc isn't nearly as big as it's advertised.